Yes They Can

NULL

NULL

If anyone thought the State Board of Education was chastened by the recent controversy over evolution, by the dethroning of its chairman and by the many, many bills filed by lawmakers this legislative session to strip the board of its power, well, think again. None of those bills passed, and the State Board is at it once more.

The latest lunacy concerns revisions of the social studies curriculum. The board appointed six experts to review the current social studies standards. As they did with science, the seven social conservatives on the State Board made sure that three of those “experts” were Christian Right activists. And that’s how we ended up with David Barton—founder of WallBuilders, former vice chair of the Texas GOP, and avowed opponent of the separation of church and state—as one of the experts reviewing what Texas kids learn in social studies class. Hat-tip on this to the Texas Freedom Network. TFN, in a blog post this afternoon, identifies the two other Christian conservative activists on the six-member panel.In his social studies review, Barton contends that teachers should instruct students that the U.S. was founded as a Christian nation, established with Biblical principles. He also contends that Cesar Chavez and Colin Powell shouldn’t be featured as influential historical figures. Barton writes: “Cesar Chavez may be a choice representing diversity but he certainly lacks the stature, impact, and overall contributions of so many others; and his open affiliation with Saul Alinsky’s movements certainly makes dubious that he is a praiseworthy to be heralded to students as someone ‘who modeled active participation in the democratic process.'”Another member of the expert panel—Peter Marshall, the president of Peter Marshall ministries—writes that, “To have Cesar Chavez listed next to Ben Franklin is ludicrous. Chavez is hardly the kind of role model that ought to be held up to our children as someone worthy of emulation.”You can read all six experts’ critiques here. It appears that social studies curriculum will be the new target for social conservatives on the State Board in the next year.

Lord help us.

Do you think free access to journalism like this is important?

The Texas Observer is known for its fiercely independent, uncompromising work — which we are pleased to provide to the public at no charge in this space. That means we rely on the generosity of our readers who believe that this work is important. You can chip in for as little as 99 cents a month. If you believe in this mission, we need your help.